Experimental yet functional: this is how Midland tames dancefloors

Why did you start Graded?

The reason I started Graded was due to the fact that having previously released with a few labels, I wanted a bit more freedom and control in how the music was presented as well as being less constricted by release schedules. I liked the idea of writing something and then being able to have it out within three months.

What would you say your vision for the label is and how successful do you think you've been in that so far?

For me the goal of the label is to release experimental yet functional club music. I was listening back to the previous releases before our interview to get some perspective and I think I can say that they have a theme and that the label has a sound. Also, the idea is to make the records collectible both physically and musically and I think it’s something people appreciate.

Is music you release on Graded specific to that label?

I think so. I was speaking to a friend recently about this and I can instantly tell if a record is a Graded record. Why that is I don't know but usually it has something to do with synths. Synths are quite a big part of the process.

I like the use of vocals in a lot of your tracks that are really warped or reversed. Are they yours? You used to be in a choir right?

I used to be in a choir, but haven’t used my own vocals yet - mostly they're just sourced from various parts of the Internet. There's so much stuff out there and it's pretty easy to make things sound different to the source material. I think it stemmed from reading an article a few years back about the voice and vocals as just another frequency on the spectrum; it made me think, they don’t’ always have to be the emotional anchor of the track, they can just be another element as much as a snare or a hi-hat. So with quite a few of them it's just been a matter of using them more in a percussive way or as an accent.

What inspired your decision to start ReGraded? What got you into that sample-based, disco-leaning house sound?

I think it was seeing Gerd Janson at Panorama Bar early last year, he just held this vibe all night where the groove and the tension was really tight, it felt like peeking through your older brother's bedroom door listening to him playing all these amazing records. All through his set he maintained this vibe and at no point did it feel like it went too full on or too bombastic. It was soon after that I went home and wrote the first ReGraded record, and that was my attempt to channel that experience, that feeling of almost being weightless in the club. Since it didn’t fit the main label, the logical step was to put it out through my own channels. We already had the means to put out a record through Graded with the distributor and designer so it actually wasn’t much work. What started as a pretty off the cuff endeavour is now something I'm really enjoying and I'm getting sent a lot of really great music for and so in that respect the label is starting to become its own beast which is great.

Were you surprised by the huge demand for the Hubie Davison release or did you think you had a massive track on your hands when you picked it up?

I thought it was the biggest record I'd heard in ages. But often when you think something is going to do well it actually doesn't or it slips under the radar. I still remember e-mailing him and asking if he'd tried to get it signed and he hadn't. It was a free download for a couple of weeks. I think because we have never really pushed ReGraded massively, using promo companies or the such, it's always been quite under the radar and so it's really heartening to know for a track that we initially pressed 400 copies of is now up to 1500.